#take24 with Clare Press of @vogueaustralia

It’s time to #take24 & consider the consequence of your clothing.

As someone who spends a large majority of my life in activewear, it might surprise you to learn 15 year old me actually dreamed of a career in fashion. Clearly the allure of journalism & the sweat life won out, but what has lingered is an appreciation for fashion and a love of good quality clothing.

I’m all for regular clean outs of the closest but it wasn’t until I had the chance to meet Vogue’s very-first sustainability editor, that I realised I give very little thought to the “impact” of what I choose to wear.

As a passionate advocate for ethical fashion, Clare Press is a go-to on the subject, not to mention an absolute hoot to sit down and chew the (organically sourced) fat with.

“I think we need to make time and space in our lives to be mindful consumers,” she told me.

“I think we do that already with food and I think we’re now at the time when we’re bringing the conversation towards fashion.”

Clare admits, it’s no quick fix and unlikely to achieve in one #take24 hit. For goodness sake, she’s made a career spanning two decades, pursuing so-called this “slow fashion” movement.

“On the streets are people really onto these ideas? I don’t think they are as much as we’d like them to be,” she said.

“Somebody always pays the price for too cheap.”

It’s easy to avoid the sweat-shops manufacturing the $5 knock-off Gucci tee, but Clare warns many of our favourite brands might also be scrimping on ethical practices to save on production.

Portrait: Georgia Blackie

Portrait: Georgia Blackie

“How did we loose that connection with how our clothes are made, and how can we get it back.”

It’s simple if you ask Clare, and “it doesn’t all have to be expensive, it’s up to you to be mindful.”

Start with a quick Google of your favourite brands.

Most companies will be pretty forthcoming and are keen to promote their sustainable practices. If you can’t easily find details on their approach to production when perusing their website, alarm bells should start ringing straight away.

Clare’s top tip? Start using the app “Good On You” along with 175, 00 other ethical fashionistas.

Even with my shonky internet connect, it took me a minute to download and approximately 30 seconds to check the star rating of my three go-to brands.

“It’s about good health,” Clare said.

“Our own good health wearing clothes that have not been produced for example with toxic chemicals but also the good health of the planet and the people that make them.”

We may not be the most stylish of individuals, but at #take24, we’re all about that.

We also had a chat about Meghan Markle’s ethical ensembles, read it here.

#take24 with Sarah Levey of @y7studio

'A tribe called sweat' that knows how to 'namastizzle'

Y7 has made yoga for millennials. The brand boast nine studios between NYC and LA and is bound to get your knees week, palms sweaty as you flow under infrared to hip-hop beats. Sarah Levey is the brains behind the business, along with her husband Mason, but admits she could never quite get into yoga. That is, until she created what she wanted in a workout and hey, even 50 cent has tried it to.

What sets Y7 apart?

At Y7 we have created a safe space with no mirrors, no judgement, and all self love. We focus on moving our bodies in a way that works for the individual client.

Why heat and hip-hop?

Why not?! Music is what inspires me and what I love to move to and who doesn't want to get a good sweat during a workout. We use infrared heating technology, which is a more efficient way to heat the body, speeding up circulation and increasing detoxification.

How did the Y7 begin?

It began with my personal frustration with my yoga experiences. I had always taken classes in a brightly lit room, surrounded by mirrors, where music seemed to be an afterthought. I left feeling bad about myself and like I wanted something more. Y7 is beat bumping, sweat dripping, candlelit yoga & it's everything I was craving.

Did you ever imagine yourself being at the helm of a fitness empire?

Absolutely not. Everyday I am humbled that the studio is at the level its at.

What's the vibe on owning/operating a business with your partner?

EL OH EL.

It has its ups and downs for sure, but at the end of the day when you share a vision with someone you will always land on the same page.

Walk us through a typical 'day-in-the-life'?

I *try* to wake up every morning at 730 am and fit in a workout, usually either pilates or yoga. I am at the office/or taking meetings starting at 10 am and usually running around all day. I really have no schedule. Whatever needs to get done I am there for it.

Classes are 60 minutes. But if you had just 24 minutes a day for yourself, how would you spend it?

Napping! (PLEASE AND THANK YOU)

Namast'ay Fly.

#take24 with @nevereverpayretail

Hannah picked this linen jumpsuit up for $6 & gave it a DIY touch with the big buttons.

Hannah Klose is one fine stylish mumma. She’d argue she’s been thrifting since birth but in 2014, the op-shopper turned her own #take24 passion into somewhat of a 24-7. While her thrifting blog isn’t her sole 9-5, we took 24 minutes with the fashion stylist for her tips on doing our bit for the environment & sprucing our out-of-workout wardrobe at the same time.

99% of my wardrobe is preloved (except underwear - got to draw the line there!) My parents had me thrifting since birth and I guess it kind of stuck in a big way. I started my blog in 2014 because I literally love thrifting that much I wanted to inspire others to love it too. When you think that 6000 kilograms of textile waste goes to landfill every 10 minutes here in Australia, it’s imperative that we all change our fashion habits.

Start the clock.

In 24 minutes, how do we find a gem in our local thrift shop?

Try to have a vision of a look you want to create. I always scroll Instagram for inspo and look at some of my favourite fashion bloggers and then try to create the look for less! Keep an opshop wishlist on your phone of pieces you need in your life so you stay focused.

Can we declutter all the crap from our wardrobe in 24 minutes?

That depends how big your wardrobe is. If we’re talking about mine you might have to double that and do two reps.

This entire look set Hannah back $7. $2 each for the blazer, sandals, dress & $1 for the tote. Bargain!

When you skim through your wardrobe ask two simple questions,

1. Does it fit?

2. Have I worn it in the past year?

If the answer’s no to both, pop it in a pile to take to your local thrift shop.

What’s your best #take24 DIY tip?

My favourite DIY especially coming into summer is turning jeans into shorts! You could probably do it in two minutes - all you have to do is try on the jeans to figure out where you’d like to chop them, then give them the snip and pop them in the wash to fray the edges! #boom You can also take a long sleeve men’s corporate shirt into the new season just by rolling up the sleeves, tying the ends in a bow and pairing it with said cut-offs above!

Why thrift?

It actually makes so much cents (pun intended!) It’s kind on your wallet and the planet, it helps to drive down demand for sweat shop goods, and your retail therapy actually provides charities with one of their main sources of income.

What’s your best advice for someone starting out?

Shop every rack, leave no stone unturned! I often find opshop gold in the kids and men’s clothing racks and even some incredible vintage pieces in the plus size section, as sizes have changed a lot over the years.

If you don’t have time to thrift app’s like Thredup, Etsy, Depop, Gumtree, Ebay and even Facebook marketplace are all good platforms for sourcing second hand on the run.

season 1 | episode 5 | harriet brown

Harriet Brown

World Ironwoman Champion

Molokai 2 Oahu Champion

‘If I was in the gym I’d do some interval training using some weights, chin up bar, that kind of thing. If you don’t have access to that kind of thing and you’re just at home, I would suggest 20 seconds on 10 seconds off intervals of something high intensity.”

“If you’ve only got 24 minutes, my first thing is do something that you’d want to do. We all say we don’t have time but I think it’s more so about making the time.”

24 minutes in 24 seconds

with Leanne Ward (The Fitness Dietitian)

Leanne Ward

"Things like meal prepping. So spending 24 minutes to get some meals together whether that's breakfast or some healthy lunches for the next couple of days or some healthy dinners. Or even planning out my schedule for the rest of the week to save myself a little bit of time."

Want to take Leanne's advice?

The Fitness Dietitian shares many of her thoughts and recipes on her website.

season 1 | episode 3 | caine & shannon eckstein

Caine Eckstein

World Ironman Champion

5x Coolangatta Gold Champion

“Taking 30 or 20 minutes out everyday, everyone’s got that time, I know some really busy people in my life and they all get out there and do it so there’s no real excuse.”

Shannon Eckstein

World Ironman Champion

Nutri-Grain Ironman Champion

“If you’ve only got 20 to 30 minutes I think it’s important to try and get your heart rate up … I like sort of interval sessions”

How will you take24?

Want to take the Eckstein’s advice?

24 minute interval training

Choose six different exercises

(Pull-ups, burpees, squats)

Find a treadmill or place to run

45 seconds on exercise 1

15 seconds rest/transition

45 seconds run

15 seconds rest/transition

45 seconds on exercise 2

15 seconds rest/transition

45 seconds run

15 seconds rest/transition

Complete the each exercise twice for the duration of 24 minutes

season 1 | episode 2 | kara saunders

7 x Crossfit Games Athlete

2nd Fittest on Earth 2017

“You can get any workout done in under 24 minutes easily, especially a Crossfit style & bring that intensity.”

“Either stretching, some kind of movement, some kind of relax, breathing, stretching flow.”

“Planning something to contribute through your nutrition, I think nutrition is another thing that goes hand in hand with a really good lifestyle.”

“There is no reason why you can’t find twenty four minutes to do something and it can have a huge impact."

season 1 | episode 1 | dane bird smith

Commonwealth Gold Medallist

Olympian

Australian 20km Race Walking Champion

“If I had an extra 24 minutes in the day I’d probably put it into a bit of stretching, recovery just something that, as I’m starting to get a little bit older now, the body wants a little bit more attention and a little bit more R&R.”

“Every single day you guys can get out there and do these tiny little things like core work, stretching, whatever it is that’s going to make you just that little bit better”